The Argosy, April 1916 — page 154: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

144 camera, but the director waves her away. . She goes back. “Now an officer, Captain Granger, runs out of the building and hands her a packet. ; She starts to run toward the sea- wall. . . . The camera man and the di- rector have climbed into the boat and are pushing off to the yacht. . . . Nobody is taking any pictures now. . . . “Jove! A group of soldiers, movie sol- diers I guess, are chasing her and shooting. She runs to the wall, places the packet in her mouth, and jumps into the water. Gee! Watch her swim. . . . Dart, “now is the time! Come on up! Don’t let her get into that boat, for the love of Heaven!” A signal clanged through the submarine. Dart pulled a lever and a rushing sound was heard as the water was expelled from the tanks. Up came the gray craft like a cork and in a minute her gray, conical deck protruded above the surface. Leaving the engineer on the control sta-. tion, Dart beckoned to Lansing and crept through the manhole into the engine-room and thence up the iron ladder to the deck cap, the cover of which had been removed by a seaman. Followed by Lansing and drawing an automatic revolver from his pocket, Dart ran to the bridge, while the seaman, who had preceded the pair, rigged a machine- gun which had been sealed under a hood on the forward deck. Through his binoculars Lansing could see a commotion on the yacht. Every face was turned toward the submarine and all of them wore a startled expression. Then the boat which had been towing astern of the yacht was hastily hauled under the counters and two men dropped into it. Dart picked up a megaphone. __ - “Stop that boat, do you hear!” He raised his weapon and fired several rapid shots at the two men, who scrambled back to the deck of the yacht. In the meantime the submarine was heading in toward the girl and the yacht, now that the men had been frightened out of their attempt to reach Helen by row- boat, was makng headway toward her. And the yacht was much nearer the young woman than was the war vessel. “Don’t let them beat us!” Lansing was dancing up and down in his excitement. “If they get to her they’ll take the papers and leave her in the water.”’ THE ARGOSY. ‘‘She’s as swift as we are,” declared Dart, his eyes glittering toward the graceful, clean-lined yacht. ‘‘Ryan,” he added crisply, addressing the seaman, ‘do you think you could put that craft on the bot- tom with a shell or two?” Ryan’s eyes glistened. .“All right, then do it,” ordered Dart. With deft speed the seaman opened a little steel-bound chest and took out a gleaming shell which he thrust into the breach, inserting another in a slim, pocket- shaped arrangement beneath the breech. “Let one drive across her bows,” Dart commanded, “and see if that does any- thing.” Upon his words came a quick, sharp re- port, the staccato echoes _reverberating against the green hills of the fort. A column of water arose about ten feet in front of the yacht, which, however, did not slacken speed, but continued to tear toward the girl whose shining hair was still bobbing up and down perhaps a hundred yards from the yacht. : Dart watched the, yacht, and as the spray still curled up on either side of her bows he turned to the gunner. ‘Wing her this time, Ryan. Don’t miss.” ‘Aye, aye, sir!”’ The man bent over the gun, stepped back and snatched at the trigger. Again came the shattering report, but this time no column of water arose. Instead from the waterline of the vessel, fair amidships, came an answering detona- tion and a great black gash opened in the white hull. _ In another instant the yacht was half on her side, the water running over the in- clined deck and the occupants leaping into the sea, those who could swim striking out for the rowboat, others clinging to pieces of wood torn from the doomed vessel. On swept the submarine without paying any attention to the foundering yacht; for Miss Granger was giving signs of weakness and was calling for assistance. As the war vessel neared her she had turned on her back and was floating, her strength for swimming having been exhausted. Lansing was the first to reach her as the submarine, turning in, ranged alongside. Seizing her under the arms he drew her to the deck, where she raised herself to a half- inclined position, breathing heavily. _ Presently she opened her eyes and saw Lansing looking down at her, his arms sup- porting her. MICLOOOK C©